Even as the conference season progresses, the Colorado State Rams women’s volleyball team is embracing change. In a recent match against the Air Force Academy at Moby Arena, the Rams secured a 3-1 victory (25-17, 27-25, 23-25, 25-14). The game marked the home debut for outside hitter Riley Simpson, who returned after being sidelined by injury for seven months.
Simpson started in the previous match against Air Force on October 16. Reflecting on her return, she said: “I’m not going to lie, I was a little bit nervous at the beginning. I feel like as the game went on, I was able to settle in, and it really helps that I have the great support of my teammates.”
Eve Wilson also played a significant role in the win with her first career double-double—15 kills and 12 blocks. Wilson recently transitioned from playing outside to middle over the past three games. She emphasized staying focused: “I think we talk about never being satisfied. I feel like you can have a good game and anything can happen the next time or next set. So, I’m just trying to stay on top of my game and keep going.”
The Rams adjusted their strategy after facing challenges with Air Force’s blocking ability in their previous meeting in Colorado Springs. Coach Emily Kohan described how her team responded: “I think we’re so much taller and at a higher contact point than Air Force. Sometimes when you see blockers smaller than you, you get tempted to swing down at them. We told our hitters, ‘Hey, you’ve got to challenge the edges of the block versus trying to get down on top of them.’ Halle (Jameson) though, I felt like in her fourth set she figured out how to swing in the right trajectory.”
Jameson has become an established presence on the roster after several starts this season. Simpson now takes on an element of surprise for opponents due to limited scouting opportunities during her recovery period.
“I’m coming off an injury so I’m definitely getting back into it,” Simpson said. “But, I mean, I think I’m just like an added secret weapon. A lot of teams don’t have film or have scouted against me much yet. It’s nice to be out there and hopefully we can have everyone back to full strength soon.”
Depth from the bench continues to be important for CSU despite having a young roster. Wilson commented: “It’s just whatever we need in that situation. I think it’s great to have depth and have a bench that pushes us every day. Anything can happen and Riley getting healthy is just something to celebrate.”
Coach Kohan noted resilience as central for this group: “Our pregame talk was about doing hard things,” Kohan said. “The more you do hard things the better you get at doing hard things. That second set was a hard thing. When we went back to the tunnel it was hard to come back. We were down 14-17 and had kind of faltered in our momentum. They were just gritty and kept on. We can win in a lot of different ways.”
With new positions and lineups emerging throughout conference play, adaptability has become key for CSU.
